Tuesday, October 5, 2010

What makes a bad day bad?

Thursday was a heck of a day for me. To start things off right, my car was broken, unwilling to start for reasons unknown. In addition, Dad had an interview all morning, so it was necessary for me to handle the harvesting and preparation for market, then I had to head to market and set up by myself without Dad's help because he had an afterschool program to supervise. Market went reasonably well, but upon returning home, I had to break into my own house because I'd gone and misplaced my keys. As if that wasn't enough excitement, a computer error caused my debit card to be charged for a transaction it shouldn't have been charged for, resulting in an overdraft fee and putting me more than $70 in the red. On top of it all, I survived the day on only a few hours of sleep, which in and of itself can make a day tough to bear. Yet, despite it all, I ended the day in a marvelous mood, something that I would have found quite impossible when I was employed at Wal-Mart.

It's amazing what a difference it makes when you know, even if just on a subconscious level, that your needs are met. Your errands are done, your bills are paid, and you don't have to get up early in the morning to go someplace you really, really don't want to be. It's not about the gadgets, the gizmos, the luxuries in life--it's about meeting our needs, our real needs. To know that we have food and shelter, love and family, means so much more than owning the latest iDevice or bells-and-whistles cell phone. As a society, we get so caught up in finding things to spend our money on so that we can be entertained for a while that we forget how to be content with the things we really need. Food, shelter, and people we love can make the difference between a good day and a bad day, at least, that's how I feel about it.